Snøhetta on Ithra, Tanween, and Urban Regeneration from Milan to Riyadh

The esteemed architecture firm Snøhetta shared its vision for the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, known as Ithra, located in Dhahran. This center was the venue for the eighth Tanween design festival, which took place from November 17 to 22, 2025. Eli Synnevåg, the Director of Acquisition and Business Development for the Middle East and Africa, characterized Ithra as a project designed for longevity, envisioned as a modern public square rather than just a museum. The center serves as an open infrastructure for community engagement, hosting discussions during Tanween. This year’s festival focused on the theme of the 'unexpressed' (inespresso), attracting a global audience of designers and creatives. Snøhetta's projects include urban revitalizations in cities like Milan, Brussels, Cannes, and Drammen, Norway, while aiming to enhance urban green spaces over the next decade, as seen in the Qasr Al Hokm metro station in Riyadh. Synnevåg highlighted the importance of architecture that responds to community needs, aligning with Tanween's theme of addressing the unexpressed.